With Chinese New Year of the Rabbit coming, Amb. Chen Daojiang, China’s Permanent Representative to the ISA, met with Michael Lodge, Secretary-General of the ISA, at the Residence of Ambassador of China on January 18, 2023. They celebrated the Spring Festival together, and exchanged views on the main topics of the 28th Session of the ISA Council, Part I, in March 2023 and deepening bilateral practical cooperation.

Amb. Chen spoke highly of the important achievements of the ISA in international seabed mineral resources exploitation regulations, marine environment protection, increasing developing countries’ capacity to engage in deep sea activities, and many other fields last year. With the declining impact of Covid-19, the ISA’s session will be more attractive and exploitation regulations will also embrace more opportunities, which requires all parties to make more contribution and enhance cooperation synergies to advance exploitation regulations development.

Amb. Chen said that the 28th Session of the ISA Council, Part I, will concentrate more on the negotiations on the draft of exploitation regulations, and continue reviewing the implementation of the roadmap for exploitation regulations development. China attaches great importance to negotiations on the development of regulations, and will actively participate in it, and China has submitted a new round of comments. China will send more experts to attend the 28th Session of the ISA Council, Part I, to actively promote more progress in the negotiations on exploitation regulations. China will continue to work with the ISA to truly promote the development of fair and reasonable deep sea exploitation regulations with the equal rights and responsibilities, so as to make steady steps in the deep sea cause.

Secretary-General Michael Lodge sent congratulations on the upcoming Chinese New Year of the Rabbit, and appreciated China’s active contribution to ISA’s work, especially the negotiations on exploitation regulations. He expressed thanks to China for its strong support for ISA, and said the ISA would like to further practical cooperation with China on exploitation regulations development, marine environment protection, and developing countries’ capacity building, and other aspects to make new achievements.